Hollow Boat
by bleachlessapollo
Summary: A hollow is killing the young men in Karakura Town, seducing them at parties and then eating their souls. It's up to Ichigo to destroy it before it can take any more victims.
1. Chapter 1

_**Enjoy. It took me a while to come up with the idea, and I hope it's a good one. **_

"But, Byakuyaaaaaa," Rukia whined, "I don't _want _to go!"

If you knew him, you knew that Byakuya Kuchiki could be one scary bastard when it came to getting what he wanted. And right now, he wanted Rukia to shut the hell up and just do what he wanted her to do. He put that scariness to use know, glaring at his sister and saying slowly, calmly, "I don't recall asking what you _wanted, _Rukia Kuchiki."

Defeated, Rukia slumped in her comfy chair at Kuchiki Manor. "Fine," she growled, "But I'm coming home as soon as I can!" Satisfied, Byakuya just nodded, leaving the room swiftly. Rukia stayed slumped in her seat, thinking over what Byakuya had told her.

Apparently, there was a hollow in Karakura Town. And not just any hollow. This particular hollow was known to disguise itself as a beautiful woman, going around to parties and seducing human men. Once alone with them, the hollow devoured their soul.

The hollow had already killed two humans right under the Soul Society's nose, so they decided to inform Ichigo of its presence and ask him to destroy it as quickly as possible.

Obviously, they didn't trust Ichigo enough to kill it by himself, because they were making Rukia go to the World of the Living and baby-sit him. Not only would it be embarrassing to Ichigo, it was also a complete and total waste of Rukia's time and energy. She had agreed to come stay with Byakuya for a while instead of her regular place at Squad 13, and now her brother was forcing her to leave the Soul Society!

Sighing, Rukia waved a servant over. Byakuya insisted that she put them to use whenever she stayed with him. "Could you please pack me a small bag? I'll be departing in a few hours," she asked sweetly. The servant nodded obediently, bowing to her before he left, leaving Rukia feeling a bit guilty. She hated letting other people do things for her.

But she had a much larger problem at hand. Renji really had been looking forward to having her around longer than a month, especially since she was taking some time off from Squad 13. And now, she was going to have to tell him she was leaving today.

**A Few Hours Later**

Rukia had tried to be gentle with telling Renji she was leaving, offering to train with him for a few hours. He agreed, a little confused because everyone knew Rukia preferred to train by herself. But he wasn't going to pass up training with Rukia- she was small, but she sure did put up a hell of a fight. It would help him grow stronger than he was already.

"Okay, Renji, I'm beat!" Rukia gasped after several hours, sweat and blood combing in an unpleasant mixture on her face. Renji felt a little bad for it, but she hadn't gone easy on him, either. He was going to be sore as hell in the morning, and that was saying something. Wincing, Renji put away his sword, panting just as heavily as Rukia.

"Why don't w-we sit down?" Rukia suggested, her face going red. Renji nodded hastily. She looked like she was going to explode or something if she didn't rest for a while.

They sat down on the cold marble floor of Squad 10's training grounds, healing their minor wounds and wiping the blood and sweat off their faces and their Zanpakutos.

Rukia stood up after a while, glancing nervously at Renji, who stood up quickly as well.

Because he knew that look. It was that guilty look she gave people when she forgot their name. It wasn't a look he got very often. Rukia was a reliable person most of the time.

"Renji," she finally began, "I have to go back to the World of the Living. I'll be back in about a week. I'm so sorry, I know I told you we'd spend some time together, but Byakuya ordered it and-" "Rukia!" Renji interrupted, "It's fine, okay? I'll just go with you." Before Rukia could object, Renji left the training room.

Rukia bit her lip so hard she thought she might break the skin. Because she knew her brother, and Renji was going to be very pissed when Byakuya refused to let him go.

_**Chapter One! I think it might be around five chapters long. **_


	2. Chapter 2

_**To answer your questions, no, this is definitely not a Renji/Rukia story. I swear! Rukia thinks of Renji as a good friend and doesn't want to hurt his feelings by breaking her promise of spending time with him, that's all. CALM DOWN GUYS! xD**_

Renji leaned casually against the wall of the front gate of Kuchiki Manor, waiting patiently for Rukia to open up a Senkaimon so they could go to Ichigo's place.

It was obvious by her expression when he had left the training room that she'd thought her brother wasn't going to let him leave on such short a notice. But, although Byakuya was Rukia's brother, sometimes Renji felt he knew his Captain better than anybody else.

Renji knew for a fact that Byakuya constantly worried about Rukia and 'that boy's' relationship. Not that Byakuya had told him that, but Renji could just tell he did.

It had been almost _too_ easy to convince him.

"_Captain, I request your permission to leave with Rukia this evening." "Absolutely not, Renji. I need you here at the moment." "Of course, Captain… It's just; I'm a little worried about Rukia, all alone with Kurosaki…" "…On second thought, Renji, I think it's a good idea for you to accompany Rukia to the World of the Living. You may leave." _

And that was that. Renji had gotten into his gigai quickly, barely catching Rukia before she left. And now, as she the Senkaimon, she looked shocked and a little pissed at him.

But he was going to leave with her if it killed him. He was bored in the Soul Society.

"Come on, Renji," Rukia called, already stepping into the bright light of the Senkaimon.

**An Hour Later**

Rukia Kuchiki sat on Ichigo's bed, pissed off and confused. Byakuya had let Renji come! What the hell had Renji said to let her uptight brother let him go at the last second?

Renji was always following her around, trying to 'protect' her. It was annoying as hell!

Didn't he know she could take care of herself? Sighing, Rukia ripped Kon off her chest and threw him against the closet door, where he continued to chant, "RUKIA'S HOME!"

"SHH!" Rukia hissed at the stuffed animal, "Don't you know that Ichigo and his family are outside eating dinner? What the hell is wrong with you, Kon?" Furious, Rukia stood and walked over to Kon, stomping him in the face and then tossing him in the closet.

Ichigo must've heard her, though, because within seconds he flung his door open, looking around wildly as if someone had told him there was a mutant hollow hiding in his room.

His eyes finally rested on Rukia, who was standing by the closet with her arms folded.

"Why the hell were you making so much noise? My family thought there were freaking ghosts in my room, Rukia! And why did it take you so damn long to get here, huh!"

That was a bit much. She came here for _him, _was forced to come, and she didn't even get a 'hey, how ya doing?' Before she even said a word, Rukia jumped up and kicked Ichigo square in the face. "That," she said calmly, "Is for not greeting me properly, Ichigo."

Ichigo rubbed his jaw tenderly, glaring at her like she'd just murdered a puppy. "Now," Rukia began, moving to sit on his bed gracefully, "I want you to know that I am not happy about being here. We're going to kill this freaking hollow as quickly as possible."

Now Ichigo looked confused. "Uh… Rukia, you won't be killing anything. Why- why exactly do you think you're here?" Rukia stared at him blankly. "Because the Soul Society wants me to help you take out a hollow." Ichigo shook his head slowly, crossing his arms. "Rukia. I _requested _for you to come here. I don't need help with the hollow."

"Then what the hell do you want?"

Something strange was happening to Ichigo. His entire face was becoming bright red, like a tomato. It looked really weird against his bright orange hair. "Uh… well, you see. There's this big party, and the hollow will defiantly go to it… but the thing is, you need a- a… date to get on the damn yacht, and I thought that they could send you here so…"

"YOU MEAN YOU BROUGHT ME HERE TO TAKE ME ON A DATE?" Rukia screamed, hopping off of Ichigo's bed like it was on fire. "ICHIGO, I HAD PLANS!"

Rukia ran past Ichigo unto his windowsill, sliding open the stubborn glass. Without saying another word, Rukia jumped from the window, landing with a thump on the pavement. Ichigo sighed, laying down on his bed and burying his face in the pillows.

In his head, he asked Rukia to go with him, and she said yes and then they played some Parcheesi and that was the end of it.

He'd planned it a lot smoother in his head.

_**Again, not a Renji/Rukia story. Promise. **_


	3. Chapter 3

_** I must say, you guys are some serious Renji/Rukia haters. ^_^**_

Rukia ran down the street, trying not to feel annoyed when her gigai immediately started sweating and gasping for breath. As a soul reaper, she could run this way for hours and not feel a bit winded. But, of course, they had to make these stupid gigais all girly…

She felt her already red cheeks redden at the thought of Ichigo actually _asking _for her to come here, just so he could get on the damn boat! Didn't he have other girl friends? Orihime? Tatsuki? No, it had to be her that he dragged over to be his stupid _date…_

On the other hand…

She had to admit she felt flattered. He wanted _her, _so much that he'd asked for her to come all the way from the Soul Society…

Rukia felt a small smile spread on her face. Ichigo was going to pay for what he'd done.

**Meanwhile, in Ichigo's Room…**

Ichigo was in a panic. The party was in five hours, and he didn't have a date yet! What the hell was he going to do?

Of course… there was always…

'_No,' _Ichigo thought furiously, pushing the thought out of his mind. _'I'll only ask if there's no other possible way…'_

**Two Hours Later **

Ichigo had asked every damn girl in Karakura Town to the party, and they all either weren't going or they already had dates!

He'd even asked _Tatsuki, _but Renji had already asked her to go! Ichigo didn't even know Renji was here in the World of the Living, let alone that he was such a quick operator.

He'd asked Yoruichi, but she was already going with Kiskue. _That _had been embarrassing, what with Yoruichi and Kisuke teasing him for not having a date.

That only left one person to ask.

Ichigo wiped the sweat off of his forehead, wondering why he was so nervous. Maybe it was because he _knew _Orihime liked him, so it made it tenser. Well, whatever.

Softly, he knocked on Orihime's door, praying that she wasn't home so he could leave a note or something.

No such luck.

She opened the door quickly, stepping out into the hall with Ichigo. She was wearing a pink ball gown that was extremely low cut, and her orange hair was piled up on her head.

"Uh, hi, Orihime," Ichigo said, trying hard to look at her eyes and not her chest. But it was hard. "So, I guess you're going to the party tonight," he commented dryly, finally forcing his eyes ut to her face. "Oh, yes, Ichigo! Rangiku picked out this dress for me!"

"I bet she did… uh, hey, are you going with anyone? Because my date ditched- I don't have a date, and I know you need one to get on or whatever. And we need to get that hollow off, you know…" Ichigo stuffed his hands in his pockets, feeling his face redden.

Why the hell was it so embarrassing to ask Orihime?

"Oh, I'm so sorry, Ichigo, but I'm already going with Chad! He asked me two days ago."

_Damn it. _

"Uh, no problem. I'll figure something out."

Orihime nodded, giving him a quick hug and then ducking back into her apartment. Probably to get ready, even though the damn party didn't start for three more hours.

Ichigo sighed, turning around to walk back home. There was just no hope at all.

**Three Hours Later **

Ichigo wanted to die.

When he'd got home, his father had noticed his expression and asked what was wrong.

Stupidly, he'd explained about the hollow and the party, to which his dad promised to get him a date. Ichigo was very confused and had no freaking idea what he was going to do.

Isshin's solution had been beyond embarrassing.

Ichigo's date was… _Yuzu. _

His freaking little sister! But there was no way he could tell her no, not when she'd been so happy to be going to the party. And he _did _need to kill that damn hollow, fast.

Yuzu had gotten ready quickly, and Ichigo had to admit she looked beautiful in her green dress. But it didn't make it any less embarrassing.

"Come on, Yuzu, we've got a party to be at," Ichigo yelled, trying not to think of the embarrassment he was sure to face tonight.

_**Cliff hanger. Sorry guys. **_


	4. Chapter 4

_** The second to last chapter. Hope you guys have enjoyed it so far. **_

Ichigo loosened the tie of his expensive tux, reluctantly allowing Yuzu to grab his arm.

She probably needed his support, what her heels being about three inches high. Even then, his little sister barley cleared his shoulder. Maybe no one would notice her with all that makeup on… he sure as hell hadn't. She did look very nice, though.

Holding up a wobbling Yuzu, Ichigo made his way to the docks, staring at the biggest boat he'd ever seen. He nervously scanned the dock, halfway looking for his friends and half looking out for any outrageously beautiful women that could be the hollow.

Well, he _did _find a beautiful woman. But it sure as hell wasn't any hollow.

It was Rukia! She was facing him, but she was chattering happily to Orihime, so she didn't notice him.

But he sure did notice her! She had on the shortest red dress he'd ever seen! If you could even call it a dress… he had shirts that were bigger than that freaking 'dress.' The thing hardly covered the tops of her thighs, letting the world see her long, thin, pale legs.

The dress was also low-cut, showing off her cleavage off to its best advantage. She looked absolutely amazing, and to think, she could've been _his _freaking date if he'd been nicer!

Rukia finally finished talking to Orihime and noticed him staring at her with his mouth wide open. Teasingly, she lifted one thin eyebrow at him, but didn't approach him. Instead, she turned around to a tall guy who was standing behind her and took his arm possessively. Ichigo felt a flare of jealousy go through his entire body.

He would kill that bastard. He waited impatiently for Rukia and her unknown date to turn around so he could figure out if he knew him. Finally they did, and Ichigo almost swallowed his tonsils when he saw that it was Uryu! The nerd was almost unrecognizable without his glasses, goofy hairdo and his normal bored look. Uryu didn't look bored right now!

He was looking down at Rukia like she was the most exciting thing he'd ever seen.

Enough was enough.

"Yuzu, there's your friends over there, why don't you go hang out with them? I'll come find you when we get back to the docks," Yuzu nodded, looking nervously at him before running off to a group of her friends from school. Well, that was taken care of.

Slowly, Ichigo walked up to Rukia and Uryu, trying not to look too pissed. "Rukia," he hissed when he finally reached them, "Can I talk to you in… private for a moment?"

Not waiting for her answer, he grabbed her roughly away from Uryu and walked off a while away, where no one they knew would overhear them.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" Ichigo whispered quietly, not liking the looks Rukia was attacking from every guy within a mile. "What do you mean, Ichigo?" Rukia asked in her fake schoolgirl voice, innocently batting her eyes at him. Frustrated, Ichigo just groaned and walked away, noticing that they were now letting people get on the yacht.

He quickly rejoined the group, trying to ignore everyone. He just wanted this night to be over.

Soon enough, an hour had passed and nothing had happened. Ichigo refused to dance with anyone; instead he stood scowling off to the side, watching out for the hollow.

But it was pretty damn funny to watch Renji and Tatsuki dance. Poor Renji was trying to find the correct place to put his hands, and Tatsuki just stood there smiling like an idiot.

Yoruichi and Kiskue were dancing like morons, earning a lot of laughter from the other party goers. Chad looked amazingly tall dancing with tiny, blushing Orihime.

And Uryu and Rukia were sitting and talking. Every so often Rukia would throw her head back and laugh at something he said. Like anything the nerd ever said could be funny.

Frustrated, Ichigo locked his eyes on the two as they stood and began dancing. It was like watching a car accident- you didn't _want _to see it, but you couldn't look away either.

The woman came literally out of nowhere.

One second, he was just leaning against the wall, listening to the cheesy music and the sound of the water hitting up against the side of the boat, and the next she was standing next to him.

"Hey," she purred, leaning forward and gazing deep into his eyes.

She was the most beautiful thing he'd ever seen. Forget Rukia, Rukia was a damn _hag _compared to this woman. As he gazed at her with wide eyes, he couldn't even really say what she looked like. She was simply so beautiful it hurt to look at her.

Feeling dazed, Ichigo didn't protest when she grabbed the front of his tux and slowly started to pull him away from the rest of the crowd. He was ecstatic that she was touching him…

She pulled him a while away, finally stopping in front of a closet and pushing him gently inside, shutting the door behind her quietly.

Ichigo didn't care that he didn't know this lady, and that he was far away from any help.

He only wanted to keep looking at her.

He almost sighed in relief when she approached him, latching her arms around his neck and whispering in his ear, "Ah, tasty soul reapers… so much better than humans…"

Tasty? Was she hungry? And how did she know about soul reapers? Some small part of Ichigo's brain was screaming at him to snap out of it, but a much larger part was screaming, "She's touching you!"

Unable to help himself, Ichigo smiled stupidly and wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her closer.

The last thing he remembered was her laughter, and her lips against his neck… and then no more.

_**Yet another evil cliff hanger. And in case you didn't already know, the 'lady' was obviously the hollow. Poor Ichigo is bewitched. :O **_


	5. Chapter 5

_** Last Chapter! :O**_

Ichigo opened his eyes slowly, smelling the familiar smell of blood. But, he wasn't injured that he could feel, just a little sore maybe…

His eyes adjusted slowly, and he caught sight of Rukia, who was standing a while away, staring at him intently. She was still in her gigai, wearing the red dress… which was now torn to pieces. One sleeve was ripped off, and the hem of the dress was dangling by a thread. There were several gashes that looked like claw marks all over it, too…

With a gasp, Ichigo sat upright, nearly banging his head into the wall. He realized what must've happened…

He'd been seduced by the damn hollow, and Rukia had come in here and saved his ass.

"So, you're awake," Rukia said softly, her voice ringing with smugness. "If I had come in a second later, that hollow would've had your soul. Not that you would've cared, by the look of it." Ichigo felt his face burn in shame. He'd practically hand-delivered himself to the hollow.

Trying not to be too obvious, Ichigo scanned Rukia for any sign of injury. She _did _have a bit of blood on her face, but it didn't look like it was her blood.

Carefully, Ichigo stood up, analyzing his own soreness. "Rukia… what the hell happened?"

Rukia leaned casually against the wall, absently wiping a bit of blood of her face. "Well," she began, "I was just minding my own business, dancing with Uryu, when I noticed you being lead away by a beautiful woman."

She stopped to glare at him, crossing her arms bossily. "You nearly gave me a freaking heart attack! Anyway, I followed, and when I came in here, you were completely unconscious in the hollow's arms. She was _just _about to eat your soul, too. But, I of course, kicked you out of the way- sorry about that, I wasn't too gentle, I think your head slammed into the wall- but whatever. Anyway, so she got all mad and was talking about she was going to eat my soul… blah blah blah, and here we are now!" She finished cheerfully, still smugly glaring at him.

"But, Rukia, how did you defeat it without getting out of your gigai. And how did the thing not… seduce you, too?" Ichigo asked confusedly, rubbing the back of his tender head. Rukia sighed, obviously getting impatient. "It didn't seduce me because it was a freaking _girl hollow, _Ichigo, you dumb ass. And as for how I defeated it- don't worry about that. It only matters that it's dead, right?"

They stood in silence for a moment, and Rukia finally looked down at the state of her dress and blushed violently. Ichigo sheepishly offered her his jacket, which she accepted.

"Uh… Rukia, what was with the dress in the first place?" He asked timidly, trying not to piss her off when he already owed her.

"Oh, I was trying to make you jealous."

Ichigo felt his face turn bright red. "Uh… why would you do that?" Rukia sighed; looking at him like it was obvious. "Use your brain, idiot. Why do you think?"

He had to admit it was obvious. He'd expected her to just come here and be his date, no questions asked. But, of course, girls had to be _way _more complicated than that.

"Okay, one last question, Rukia. Why are you so upset about being here? Is it so awful?"

"I don't like coming here because… I like it too much. Every time I come back, it's harder to leave… I miss this place so much; I'd rather not go through that type of pain! And of course, then there's Kon always looking up my skirt-"

"Rukia- okay…"

"And he's just such a pervert! And then Uryu and you are always-"

"RUKIA!"

"Always fighting! It's so annoying, Ichigo! Can't you just get along?! And then-"

To Rukia's intense surprise, Ichigo leaned forward and pressed his lips against hers, silencing her complaints. She stiffened at first, but then slowly relaxed into his arms.

Ichigo was just as shocked as she was. He'd only wanted her to shut up, and had intended to smack his hand over her mouth or something like that. He hadn't meant to _kiss_ her!

It did feel nice, though…

They both jumped a mile when the door slammed open, and Uryu burst in, his bow in hand. "I HEARD FIGHTING IN HERE-" He shouted, stopping when he saw a red-faced Ichigo and a starry-eyed Rukia. "Uh… I'll just go now, then."

Uryu awkwardly shut the door behind him, his face as red as Ichigo's. "We'd better go back out there, Rukia," he murmured, not meeting her eyes.

"I think I'd rather stay in here for a bit longer," Rukia replied, standing on her tip-toes to kiss a very shocked Ichigo again.

_**The end. ^_^**_


End file.
